


Flyin' high, beyond the stars

by tsukitheoverlord



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal
Genre: Canon Compliant, Drabble Collection, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-31
Updated: 2015-06-07
Packaged: 2018-04-02 04:11:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 3,123
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4045441
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tsukitheoverlord/pseuds/tsukitheoverlord
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It was their beginning.  The real start of their friendship, their adventure, their duels, and their many losses and victories together.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, welcome to my 30 day drabble challenge! I have, of course, chosen keyshipping as the subject because keyshipping is my most favorite : >
> 
> Will likely remain mostly compliant to canon, with perhaps a few minor changes here and there. Other characters to appear as well, though likely in minor roles. Everything is to be viewed through shipping goggles.
> 
> I hope I'll be able to keep this up well enough!

He was going to  _lose._

There was a strange, distant ringing in his ears, and he couldn't hear a thing Kotori and Tetsuo were saying to him.  His vision tunneled, and there was just Shark before him, smirking, confident that his victory was sealed.

No way.  He couldn't lose.  He  _couldn't._

And then there it was.

That door.  That door from his dreams, the one that called to him, the one that terrified him. _  
_

_Whoever opens this door..._

That familiar path was unstable and crumbling beneath his feet.

_...Will obtain a new power._

Forward, forward.  Steady breathing.  He could do this.  He  _could._

_But in exchange..._

The key was clenched tight in his fist.  Maybe this was a dream again, but so what?  It was calling to him.  

_...you will lose what you value most._

Key was clenched even tighter in his palm, edges digging almost painfully into flesh.

Yuma charged straight forward, not faltering.

"Kattobingu!

Flashes of light.  Confusion.  Colors and images moving by fast, faster than Yuma's eyes or brain could process, and then...everything was still.

He was back on the pavement, he was pretty sure; it was rough and solid beneath him.  Familiar.

Ah, then...that meant he was back.

There was only the duel, and Shark, and he was going to  _lose..._

"Stand up."

Yuma jumped at the sound of the voice that had spoken so suddenly, clear, cool tones cutting through the haze of his confusion and bringing everything sharply back into focus.

He could only gape at the glowing being that had suddenly appeared next to him, arms folded and carrying itself with ease.

"Stand up.  We're going to win this."

Several things ran through Yuma's mind.   _A ghost?  Am I hallucinating?_

But then, even stronger than the rest of the things he was feeling, stronger than the hopelessness at the thought of losing and the confusion about what was happening, was undoubtedly... _annoyance._

Who the heck was this...this  _thing_ to tell him what to do?!  Ordering him around!

Yuma stood before he realized it, fully intent on giving this thing a piece of his mind, the arrogant jerk - 

And, looking back, Yuma realized he would change nothing about that moment.  How he and Astral met, as much as Astral had frustrated Yuma, there wasn't a thing he would change about it.

It was their beginning.  The real start of their friendship, their adventure, their duels, and their many losses and victories together.

It may not have been a _good_ start, but it was _their_ start, and that was how Yuma preferred it.

So yeah, he wouldn't change it for anything.

 


	2. Accusation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So far, so good! I got the second one out when I should, so good for me~
> 
> Let's see if I can keep this trend up, though ;;;
> 
> Also look I wrote about the Sargasso duel hahaha I hate myself

The backs of his eyeballs itched and burned, and he had to tightly close his eyelids.  He couldn't even face Astral right now.  Not now.  He didn't want to see what kind of face Astral was going to make at him.  He didn't want to see Vector, cackling at him maniacally, eyes wide with glee at Yuma's despair.

He wanted to sink through the floor, more than anything.  He didn't want to feel the hot, heavy guilt that choked him, forming a painful lump in the back of his throat, threatening to spill out and overflow, leaving him ragged.

Yuma didn't want to see any of it right now.

He was stupid.  He was so, so stupid.  Vector was right.  He...he  _trusted_ Shingetsu, believed in him, simply because _Shingetsu was his friend_ and that was the only basis for trust Yuma ever needed.

He didn't even realize that he'd betrayed Astral in the process.

...No, he knew he had.  He didn't like keeping secrets from Astral, but he wanted to keep believing in Shingetsu so  _badly,_ even when he found out he was a Barian.

He opened his eyes again only when he was sure he wasn't going to cry.

"Yuma."

Even though he couldn't see Astral's face right now, he could hear his feelings in his tone of voice.  Astral had trusted  _Yuma_ , and look what it had gotten him.  There was a quiet accusation in his voice, and a sense of distance that Yuma felt with an ache.

Their bond, the trust they shared, it had shattered irreparably.  Now was not the time to grieve over it, though.

Now, they had to duel, as they always had.  Vector was the enemy before them, and he thought he'd won.

Maybe he had, in a way.

"...I got it, Astral."  Later.  Later they'd deal with this.

Fingers rested against the top card of his deck.

He'd have to win this.  Because there was no other way.

"Draw!"

But his heart wasn't in it.


	3. Restless

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually almost forgot to do this one...haha...

Being within the key was peaceful.  Being in the presence of the Numbers allowed him to sort himself out, to ponder, to wonder at the many things he was missing.

Normally, residing within the key left him with a modicum of peace.

Now, however, Astral found he could not keep himself from fidgeting, unable to remain at peace, and was certain the Numbers could sense his unease.  What was he uneasy about?  Even Astral was uncertain.

Certainly, outside the key at this very moment, Yuma was fast asleep without a care in the world.  Astral supposed he envied Yuma for that, just a little.  He was able to fall asleep with ease.

Astral did not sleep, he merely mediated and remained in a state of quiet peacefulness until Yuma awoke.

Yet, why was it that he could not find rest now?

He sat upright, gazing out across the pocket dimension.  Everything was still.  Everything was at peace.

And yet, something within Astral did not feel right.

Granted, he had not felt right since coming to this world.  Not completely.  His memories gone, not remembering his mission...it had all been difficult to handle.  He was very interested in learning about humans and the planet Earth, that was true, but not more than he was in regaining his memories and finding his way back to his home world.

But...despite the sense of loneliness (that was what it was, wasn't it?) that he felt, he knew logically that he was not entirely alone.

He did have Yuma, after all.

And remembering what it felt like to bond with Yuma, to perform Zexal together and become one...

It was like that odd chunk of himself that was missing had sealed over, and he no longer felt so alone.  But that was just due to the power of Zexal, the power of becoming one person.

It did not mean that he wouldn't seek comfort in it, however.

So, this odd sense of restlessness, was it loneliness?  Was that what was plaguing him now?

Astral did not yet understand human emotion enough to know for certain.

So he supposed it would remain a mystery.

At least, for the time being.


	4. Snowflake

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well this is a teeny bit late, I got off schedule
> 
> but technically speaking it is all in the same day so I haven't lost the challenge yet!
> 
> also this is post ep 112 (Black Mist duel) so yeah fun times
> 
> my weird use of pacing continues

There was a weird dream he had sometimes.  Weirder than the dream with the door, but much less terrifying.

He just never had any idea what it meant.

He knew it had to be a dream because it was snowing.  It just didn't snow all that much in Heartland.

But it was snowing; blankets and blankets of snow covered the city in stark white, and the air was cold enough that his breath misted out in front of him.

Snow like this in Heartland?  Had to be a dream.

He was outside, and his hands were bare - he caught a snowflake on the palm of his hand, and it somehow didn't melt.  Instead, he held it in the palm of his hand like that, and walked in a straight line down the road past his house, out of the neighborhood, and still, he kept walking.

The snowflake didn't melt, and so he continued to carry it.

And then he'd wake up when he got to the end of the road, remembering that the last thing he saw was that little snowflake, still in his hand, not melting.

Yuma awoke now with his head pillowed on his arms, having fallen into a restless sleep before the windowsill, the cold nighttime air numbing his cheeks and nose.

When did he fall asleep, anyway...?  He only remembered putting his head down, but nothing after that...

Time sort of passed like that, lately, though.  He was never tired, never wanted to sleep, but somehow found himself dozing off in that same spot whenever he awoke from that dream.

That dream.  That dream he realized that he only had since...since...

A quiet breath.  He sat up a little, blanket sliding off his shoulders.

That little snowflake that wouldn't melt.

_The dream he only started having..._

Every time he fell into a restless sleep, there it was, that dream.

_...because Astral wasn't here anymore._

That little snowflake that he carried so carefully, but why?

_There still had to be hope._

Yuma didn't understand.

_There is always Hope._

He didn't understand, and he only knew he wanted Astral here.

_Have hope, Yuma._

The little voice in his ear was starting to sound weirdly like Astral, so he pulled the blanket over his head and curled up into a tight ball.

He was too tired to cry anymore, though.

_Hope..._

And there wasn't anything in his hand, anyway.


	5. Haze

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel sorta like I've found my rhythm for this so that makes me pretty happy
> 
> also to everyone that has given kudos: ily you're all gorgeous and it boosts my confidence so much you have no idea
> 
> eh does this even follow the theme? tbh I dunno but here it is, it's sappy as hell

"Stupid,"  He muttered, voice hoarse and scratchy as he reached for the glass of water by his bedside.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Astral observing his actions, and braced himself for the questions that would inevitably come.

"Your voice sounds odd, Yuma."

He groaned, and it came out really,  _really_ whiny and nasally, enough so that he was almost annoyed by the sound of his own voice. _  
_

"Because I'm sick, stupid."

"Oh."  

Astral watched him struggle drinking from the glass of water, expression contemplative.

"Is there anything I can do?"

Yuma blinked at that, pulling the glass away from his mouth.

"Huh?  Uh.  Probably not."

He hadn't expected  _that._

Astral just responded with an "I see," before looking out the window.

....Ooookay.  That was weird.

Yuma, with some difficulty, set the glass of water back down and propped himself up on his elbows, watching Astral with a frown.  Yeah, he felt pretty awful and his head felt like it was floating above his shoulders rather than actually attached there, but even with the  _flu_ he could tell that Astral was acting weird.

"I something up?"  He finally managed, after a stretch of awkward silence.

Astral glanced back towards him, acknowledging him only with a slight tilt of his head.  It was a gesture that really used to annoy Yuma, now that he thought about it - it felt a little like he was being looked down on.

Now, well, that was just one of Astral's many quirks.

"Not particularly."

Yuma exhaled heavily.  Honestly, his head hurt, he felt tired and foggy, and just wanted to sleep.

But it was bugging him that something was  _clearly_ bothering Astral, so he couldn't let it go.

"Are you upset about -"  He had to pause in order to cough, catching his breath before he was able to continue speaking.  " - about not being able to help me because I'm sick?"

"No."

"Kinda looking that way, though."

Astral turned to face him more fully now, still wearing that same contemplative expression.

"It is not so much that I am  _upset,_ but..."

"But?"

Astral shook his head.

"It does bother me that you are in pain and I cannot do anything about it."

His fingers flexed visibly against his upper arms.

It took Yuma another moment to respond, struggling through the fevered haze his brain was in.

"I'm gonna...y'know, get better soon enough.  And it's not like...like there's nothin' you can do.  I mean.  You can, uh...just...keep me company...or something."

His words trailed off awkwardly, and he found himself staring down at the bedding so he wouldn't have to meet Astral's gaze.

Yuma's face felt warm, and he was pretty sure it was from more than just the fever.

Astral's voice was a soft lilt. "Very well."

Astral came closer to Yuma's bedside then, as Yuma laid back down, staring up at the ceiling.

Tired.  The sluggish feeling was overtaking him now.

Just before he finally dozed off, though, he could have sworn he felt a cool hand on his forehead.

...Then again, could have just been the fever.


	6. Flame

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aw heck I was a little late I'm sorryyyy
> 
> I don't really know what this was these get consistently weirder

Yuma was bright.

It took Astral a while to realize that Yuma was not quite the same child he first met.

No, he had grown.  Both as a person and as a duelist, Yuma had grown considerably.

His skills as a duelist were certainly no longer laughable as they had been, and he learned much from all of his conflicts.  And always came out on top.

So, yes, Yuma was bright, possibly shining brighter than ever.

He was passionate, sometimes overly emotional and let his feelings get the best of him, tried too hard, was unskilled at reading the atmosphere, still couldn't pronounce the word  _tactics_ properly and was such a glutton, but...

But.

All of Yuma's flaws only made him  _Yuma._

And that wasn't a bad thing, Astral decided.

He hadn't chosen Yuma as his partner, but now, there was no one else he'd rather be stuck with.

It was odd how that mindset had changed.  Astral trusted Yuma with all of his existence.

Yuma turned to Astral, a wide smile on his features and eyes alight with that  _look,_ the one that said they were definitely going to win, the one that said  _kattobingu,_ the one that warmed Astral from within and left no doubts in his mind.

"Let's do this, Astral."

The small smile that made its way onto his face was but a poor echo of Yuma's wide grin, but he couldn't help himself.

"Of course."

Crackling, white hot energy.  The strength that flowed through him when he and Yuma dueled together, when they performed Zexal, when they were so perfectly in sync that nothing could pull them apart - 

Yuma was the light, and Astral was the moth.

Drawn in without hope of escape.

But he was perfectly fine with that.

 


	7. Formal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now for something completely different
> 
> (not really only sort of)
> 
> Future!AU of sorta? Maybe? Post-series in any event. (Anyone who's read The Adulthood Chronicles, well, this is similar to how I characterize Yuma in that)
> 
> Probably the longest thing I've written for this collection. Reads less like a drabble and more like a short oneshot. Oooh weeeell.

There was quite the commotion in the Tsukumo household.

"Yuma, I swear, if you  _make us late -_ "

"Sis, I'm almost ready!  Don't bite my head off, jeez!"

Astral watched as Yuma darted back and forth across his room, in a state of partial undress with his shirt hanging loosely around his neck, clad only in his underwear and one sock.

Clearly, not 'almost ready'.

"On top of the bed, Yuma,"  murmured Astral, folding his arms as he watched Yuma begin to rummage under the bed in search of his other sock.

"Yeah, thanks, Astral,"  He threw over his shoulder as he snatched up the offending article of clothing, pulling it on with haste.

Then he pulled an outfit from his closet that was on a hanger, tossing that onto the bed, as well as another shirt.

Yuma began to change quickly then, and Astral turned his head away out of politeness, as he usually did.

According to Yuma, today was a 'wedding' or something, a celebrated union between two humans who decided to commit their lives to one another.  Or something, Yuma had said.

Apparently, it was the wedding of the granddaughter of a friend of his grandmother, though Yuma did not know the specifics of what the wedding would entail.

Astral still did not fully grasp the concept, but it seemed to be important, anyhow.

He could only tell that Yuma was done changing when he called to Astral, voice breathless and impatient.

"Yuma?"

"How do I look?"

He held his arms out at his sides, standing up stiffly straight, chin lifted slightly, though his eyes would not meet Astral's.

Look..?

When Astral only stared blankly, Yuma deflated slightly and sighed.

"The clothes, Astral.  How do I...you know what, nevermind."

He turned back to the mirror, muttering to himself as he attempted to straighten out the white shirt he was wearing, only to serve wrinkling it further.

"That does not seem to be working."

Yuma growled under his breath.

"Yeah, I noticed.  Not like you're being helpful or anything."

Astral blinked at that.

Yuma seemed to be somewhat agitated.

He caught Yuma muttering something about his sister, so that was likely why.

Although Astral did not fully understand the way that clothing worked, he knew enough from his observations.

"Yuma.  Try untucking all of it and then work on tucking it in from the front to the back."

Yuma blinked at Astral, eyes a little wide, but he surprisingly followed Astral's instructions.

When he was able to successfully tuck in his shirt with moderate neatness, he turned to Astral with a grin, before diving for the bed and grabbing a black jacket and tie, donning the jacket before looping the tie around his neck.

"Sis insisted on pre-tying it last night."  Yuma rolled his eyes.  "She says I suck at tying ties, I guess."

Astral nodded and pretended to understand exactly what Yuma was talking about.

Yuma, seemingly done, turned around to face Astral with a similar pose to before, but a wide grin on his face.

"Well?"

"Well what?"

Seeming to remember the reason he'd withdrawn the question before, Yuma sighed.

"Astral, the clothes.  How do they look?"

Astral blinked.  He was not at all an expert on what humans referred to as 'fashion', but...

He took a moment to observe the clothing on Yuma, looking him up and down carefully.

He had never seen Yuma in anything outside of simple shirts and pants, and though the outfit was similar to his school uniform, there was something different about it.  The outfit seemed much higher in quality than a basic school uniform, at least, as far as he could tell.  The white of the shirt contrasted starkly with the black of the jacket, and the red tie was a very  _Yuma_ touch to the whole outfit.

Though he was not one to ask about whether or not clothing looked good, he really had to say...

"It suits you, Yuma."

Yuma seemed a little embarrassed, and turned around, clearing his throat.  

"Yeah, well.  At least I won't look too ridiculous like I thought I would.  I don't really like wearing stuff like this that much.  Kinda constricting."

Yuma tugged at his tie, and Astral could not understand why he would not face him.

"Uh, anyway."

He cleared his throat again, throwing a glance over his shoulder at Astral.  His cheeks were tinted the lightest shade of pink.

"Thanks, I guess."  He mumbled.

Astral tilted his head to one side, accepting the thanks, but was confused nonetheless.

"But what for?"

Yuma only sighed in response.

"Eh, nevermind."


End file.
